AHL New England season preview: Sound approach

Forward Johan Sundstrom ranked fifth on the Sound Tigers with 32
points in 59 as an AHL rookie last season.

It’s hard enough to be a
first-year head coach in the American Hockey League. Once you
factor in becoming the bench boss of a budding franchise’s
farm team, stacked with some high-end prospects and a disjointed
roster because of the NHL’s unpredictable season, it becomes
even more of a challenge. The 2012-13 AHL season was a lot like
that for Bridgeport Sound Tigers coach Scott Pellerin.

“It was obviously
uncertain times for the whole league, but we hit the ground
running,” said Pellerin, the former University of Maine
standout and 1992 Hobey Baker Award winner.

The Sound Tigers started last
season with 10 wins in their first 14 games before the first of two
lengthy losing streaks, an eight-game bender, set them back under
.500. Bridgeport ultimately finished with a 32-32-12 record,
missing the playoffs for the second time in three years.

“I think you learn from
last year, you learn from the past, and you focus on moving ahead
and getting better,” said Pellerin, who was named
Bridgeport’s head coach in 2012-13, replacing Brent Thompson.
Pellerin had served as an assistant coach on Mark Morris’
staff with the Manchester Monarchs for six seasons.

Because of the NHL lockout, the
Sound Tigers’ roster had a few faces that would ultimately
leave to go play on Long Island. Players like Travis Hamonic, Casey
Cizikas and Colin McDonald started the season in Bridgeport only to
depart once the NHL resumed, opening more playing time and
development for younger prospects, but still, their presence was
missed. While playing in only 35 of the team’s 78 games,
McDonald still finished in the top 10 for scoring.

“Last season was a very
trying season for all coaches in the AHL because you had a roster
that was inflated at times,” Pellerin said. “When the
lockout ended, some teams were depleted and some teams
weren’t. It was difficult on the coaching staff to manage,
but it was also difficult for some of the players.”

Pellerin knows what it’s
like to be shuffled in between the AHL and NHL. Drafted by the New
Jersey Devils in the third round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft,
Pellerin played for seven different NHL teams in his 12-year
career, plus five different AHL clubs. With the New York Islanders
on the verge of making a turnaround and putting more reliance on
its younger prospects, it’s part of the reality that many of
the players with the Sound Tigers could see a call-up to Long
Island at one point in the season.

Now, it’s up to Pellerin
and his staff to manage those expectations.

“There’s a time, and
when it’s your opportunity, you have to be ready,”
Pellerin said. “It can be humbling for some kids that think
they should be on a certain level and they want that opportunity
right away, but they have to earn it. You have to just keep
plugging away, keep working and keep believing in your game. You
have to continue the process, and when the opportunity comes, you
have to make the best of it.”

Bridgeport returnees and highly
touted prospects Ryan Strome, Calvin de Haan and Kirill Kabanov
seem the most likely candidates to see playing time with the
Islanders this season, though any breakouts are possible. Another
name to watch is Brock Nelson.

Nelson, a former University of
North Dakota center, was drafted 30th overall by the Islanders in
the 2010 draft and had a breakout season with the Sound Tigers.
Leading all Bridgeport players last season with 25 goals and 27
assists in 66 games, Nelson’s performance earned him a
call-up with the Islanders. He played in Game 6 of the Eastern
Conference quarterfinals against the Penguins.

It’s also likely that some
of the Sound Tigers’ players don’t get the call-up they
might be expecting from the Islanders. It’s a challenge that
Pellerin recalls from his playing days, and he realizes how
frustrating it can be for the players who yearn for NHL
opportunities.

“I love that they want it
and that their goals and dreams are to play in the NHL, but
it’s a process,” Pellerin said. “For some
it’s easy to handle quickly and some take a little longer.
You have to manage all of those personalities because it’s
not the same situation for every single player. It’s where I
come in and where my staff comes in. (We’re) able to have
those conversations to get them over the tough times and push them
during the good times.”

Pellerin’s Bridgeport
staff includes assistant coaches Doug Holewa and Eric Boguniecki
(West Haven, Conn.). A former University of New Hampshire star and
AHL MVP, Boguniecki played with the Sound Tigers during the 2005-06
season. Pellerin praises both him and Holewa for being an integral
part of the team’s dynamic.

“He has kind of done
everything,” said Pellerin, referring to Boguniecki’s
experience playing college and professional hockey at the ECHL, AHL
and NHL levels. “He’s just a great role model for my
guys and for the organization and has a great sense of what the
team needs.”

Boguniecki joined the Sound
Tigers coaching staff in the 2011 offseason, one year prior to
Pellerin’s arrival. Pellerin credits Boguniecki’s great
relationship with the players as an assistant coach as one of the
most important pieces that he brings to the team.

With a fully intact coaching
staff from last season, the pressure is on Bridgeport to win now,
especially as a team that hasn’t advanced past the first
round of the playoffs since 2003.

“We’re going to have
a very youthful group, but we have a lot of talent on paper,”
Pellerin said.

In 2012-13, Bridgeport recorded
its highest attendance since 2004-05. Though both seasons were
plagued by lockouts on the pro level, the average attendance of
5,300 in Bridgeport demonstrated that hockey can still thrive on
the AHL level with the Sound Tigers, despite whispers that the farm
team could be moving closer to Brooklyn once the Islanders call the
Barclays Center home.

“Our job is to develop our
players and win at the same time,” Pellerin said.
“It’s very difficult to do both and it’s a huge
challenge, but it’s something that we strive to do, to be
able to work with some of the prospects. The talent that we had
last season was a lot of fun.

“Our job is for those guys
to grow, get better and become big parts of the
organization.”

NEHJ’s New England rankings:
Providence rock-solid

1. PROVIDENCE
BRUINS

A highly surprising season for the
Providence Bruins turned sour quickly after they blew a 3-0 series
lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. This year, Bruce Cassidy’s
club will look somewhat similar, as Boston addressed any major
vacancies in free agency. Providence will have a full season of
some of Boston’s best prospects along with the benefit of
highly touted draft pick Malcolm Subban in net, replacing Niklas
Svedberg, the 39-win netminder who could get the call to back up
Tuukka Rask in Boston. A key component that could be missing is
veteran leadership now that former captain Trent Whitfield signed
with Bolzano HC in Austria.

2. MANCHESTER
MONARCHS

A model of consistency, the Monarchs
have made the postseason in six of seven seasons under coach Mark
Morris. Missing is a championship run. While the Monarchs have
developed many present-day NHLers, they have yet to reach a Calder
Cup finals. Winger Tyler Toffoli had a breakout season with 51
points in 58 games before being called up by the Kings just in time
for the postseason. This season, another player is going to have to
replace his production. Last year’s leading scorer, Linden
Vey, seems primed enough to repeat.

3. PORTLAND
PIRATES

The Portland Pirates — who will
actually call Lewiston, Maine, their home this winter — had
the luxury of getting a solid year of production from the Phoenix
Coyotes’ prospects. What made the Coyotes so successful was
that they had a scorer-by-committee strategy. No one player stood
out among his peers, but rather, a group effort put forward to
produce. The Pirates will miss goaltending from Chad Johnson, who
split time as a starter with Mark Vistentin, but Portland should be
able to keep consistency.

4. BRIDGEPORT SOUND
TIGERS

Bridgeport will again be a breeding
ground for the Isles’ top young prospects. 2012-13 leading
scorer Brock Nelson will try to replicate his breakout campaign,
this time alongside potential contributors Kirill Kabanov and Ryan
Strome. The back end will need some work, but newly turned pro and
2012 draft pick Griffin Reinhart should help stabilize the defense.
Still, the Islanders’ dynamic roster calls for their high-end
prospects to play now. This might mean another season of constant
call-ups and send-downs in Bridgeport.

5. SPRINGFIELD
FALCONS

Much like their NHL affiliate, the
Columbus Blue Jackets, the Springfield Falcons enjoyed a successful
2013-13 season, finishing second in the Eastern Conference. Led by
top-scoring forward Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, the Falcons made an
appearance in the postseason for the first time in 10 years. Now,
the pressure is on to prove that last season wasn’t an
anomaly. In his second season as a head coach, Ben Larsen will have
the heavy duties to produce a better result with a more
watered-down roster.

6. HARTFORD WOLF
PACK

No longer the Connecticut Whale, the
Hartford Wolf Pack re-emerges after a three-year hiatus away from
the AHL. After just missing out on the playoffs last season, the
Wolf Pack should have a reloaded roster of prospects fresh from the
New York Rangers organization. If he’s in the AHL this
season, expect USHL standout Brady Skjei to be a force on the Wolf
Pack’s blue line. Under the leadership of Ken Gernander, who
is going into his seventh year as a head coach, the Wolf Pack are
looking to get back into the postseason.

7. WORCESTER
SHARKS

It has been a trying few years for the
Worcester Sharks, a team that hasn’t seen the playoffs since
the 2009-10 season. The pressure is on for Roy Sommer, the
Sharks’ head coach since the team’s rebirth from the
Icecats in 2006, to succeed more than ever. With a prospect pool
that is dwindling, the Sharks will need one of their team’s
veterans to lead the way. Creating more offense will be critical,
too. The 2012-13 squad scored only 191 goals, the fewest in team
history.

This article originally appeared in
the October 2013 issue of New England Hockey Journal.